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While space battles are not the main focus of Star Trek, there were quite a few of them. Especially in Deep Space 9. So, I would like to ask you what

B

BohandiAnsoid

Captain
Captain
What is your favorite space battle in Star Trek?


As for me, my favorite space battle is the First Battle of Chin’toka from “Tears of the Prophets”. I don’t like most of that episode because of Jadzia’s death, but the battle was great. Not only did it looked great, but it had logical tactical and strategic progression. First the fleet arrive and there is that clash between Klingons and Jem’Hadar, then Federation and Romulans fired at the inactive weapons platform, then they come online and the fleet began losing. Then they detect a weakness, make a plan and execute it. And I especially liked that the (offscreen) planetary invasion takes place after the space battle was completely won. And part of it is because the whole setup make tactical sense. I had similar situations in wars in Galactic Civilizations 4X video games and I can understand this situation.
 
USS Enterprise vs. USS Vengeance. The fight wasn't very long (unless you include Scotty's last minute miracle), but I'll never forget the Vengeance running down the Enterprise at warp and blasting her unceremoniously back down to sublight. It wasn't remotely fancy, there was no clever strategy involved, it was just pure dominance ([Mortal Kombat] "Get over here!" [/Mortal Kombat]).
 
If we can throw in non-canon stuff from other media, I always thought the battle in Diane Duane’s The Wounded Sky was superb and exciting, where multiple Klingon ships try to intercept the Enterprise as it tests an experimental new drive. Combat works differently there than it does in later Trek, and there’s a lot of popping in and out of warp and tightly close dogfighting. The characters’ viewpoints are much more a part of it than usual, with Kirk fascinated, resolute and kind of terrified, Sulu using tactics foreshadowed earlier in the story in a gaming environment, Scotty reacting hilariously to what the ship’s being put through, and the Klingons ultimately signaling them after Sulu’s spectacular maneuvering draws blood, telling them to kill their helmsman and send him ahead so the Black Fleet will know what ship’s crew to expect. Kirk notes to Sulu that they’ve just complimented him.
 
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There are others but these three immediately come to mind:
Balance of Terror
Elaan of Troyius
All Good Things...
 
Favour the bold/Sacrifice of Angels - one of the first Starfleet battles that felt properly to scale in terms of the number of ships but also avoided the classic static ships firing phasers back and forth far too close to each other, had what seemed like actual tactics, and then the emotional hit of the Klingons coming out of nowhere and cutting through the Dominion forces (and the fact they come on screen from above rather than warping in on the same plane/orientation as the other ships helped it feel more "real".

The mental battle between Sisko and Dukat with the attempt to breach the lines, then Dukat trying to bluff Sisko, and the decision to take the obvious trap on the off chance also gave it some real weight.
 
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The woman knows how to make an entrance! :D
 
I really loved the final battle from Discovery season 2. Discovery and the Enterprise against Section 31, hundreds of fighters and drones, Michael swooping low over the Enterprise's saucer with a protective shell of shuttles. It was fantastic.
 
I would go with the battle against the Klingons in Star Trek VI, specifically the incredible scene where Kirk surrenders the Enterprise rather than escalate a conflict. It's really tense and the cast really sell the moment.

But I'm reminded that the man who invented Star Trek specified in the TNG writers guide that space battles were much less interesting than character studies. And that whilst they could be fun and exciting, the resolution to a problem should not come through warfare.

"The strength of a civilization is not measured by its ability to fight wars, but rather by its ability to prevent them." -Gene Roddenberry.

I guess that's why I like the end of STVI so much, Kirk and Crew aren't fighting to win a battle, they're fighting to prevent a war.
 
Weyoun 251 said:
Favour the bold/Sacrifice of Angels - one of the first Starfleet battles that felt properly to scale in terms of the number of ships but also avoided the classic static ships firing phasers back and forth far too close to each other, had what seemed like actual tactics, and then the emotional hit of the Klingons coming out of nowhere and cutting through the Dominion forces (and the fact they come on screen from above rather than warping in on the same plane/orientation as the other ships helped it feel more "real".
Click to expand...
~ The DS9 space battles were always pretty exciting, but the Klingons suddenly tearing out of the glare or that star was a "F
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, yeah!" moment!
I also really liked the Enterprise-E (and the two Romulan warbirds) vs the Scimitar from Nemesis.

My favourite though is from Lower Decks: All the Cali-classes (and the Free Spirit) coming together to defend Cerritos from the bonkers Aledo in the season 3 finale! So exhilarating!!
 
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